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<title>JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library - The Java EE 5 Tutorial</title>
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      <td><p class="toc level1"><a href="docinfo.html">Document Information</a></p>
<p class="toc level1 tocsp"><a href="gexaf.html">Preface</a></p>
<p class="toc level1 tocsp"><a href="gfirp.html">Part&nbsp;I&nbsp;Introduction</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnaaw.html">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;Overview</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="gfiud.html">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;Using the Tutorial Examples</a></p>
<p class="toc level1 tocsp"><a href="bnadp.html">Part&nbsp;II&nbsp;The Web Tier</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnadr.html">3.&nbsp;&nbsp;Getting Started with Web Applications</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnafd.html">4.&nbsp;&nbsp;Java Servlet Technology</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnagx.html">5.&nbsp;&nbsp;JavaServer Pages Technology</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnajo.html">6.&nbsp;&nbsp;JavaServer Pages Documents</a></p>
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<p class="toc level2"><a href="">7.&nbsp;&nbsp;JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library</a></p>
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<p class="toc level3"><a href="bnakd.html">The Example JSP Pages</a></p>
<p class="toc level3"><a href="bnake.html">Using JSTL</a></p>
<p class="toc level4"><a href="bnake.html#bnakg">Tag Collaboration</a></p>
<p class="toc level3 tocsp"><a href="bnakh.html">Core Tag Library</a></p>
<p class="toc level4"><a href="bnakh.html#bnakj">Variable Support Tags</a></p>
<p class="toc level4"><a href="bnakh.html#bnakk">Flow Control Tags</a></p>
<p class="toc level5"><a href="bnakh.html#bnakl">Conditional Tags</a></p>
<p class="toc level5"><a href="bnakh.html#bnakm">Iterator Tags</a></p>
<p class="toc level4 tocsp"><a href="bnakh.html#bnakn">URL Tags</a></p>
<p class="toc level4"><a href="bnakh.html#bnako">Miscellaneous Tags</a></p>
<p class="toc level3 tocsp"><a href="bnakq.html">XML Tag Library</a></p>
<p class="toc level4"><a href="bnakq.html#bnakt">Core Tags</a></p>
<p class="toc level4"><a href="bnakq.html#bnaku">Flow Control Tags</a></p>
<p class="toc level4"><a href="bnakq.html#bnakv">Transformation Tags</a></p>
<p class="toc level3 tocsp"><a href="bnakw.html">Internationalization Tag Library</a></p>
<p class="toc level4"><a href="bnakw.html#bnaky">Setting the Locale</a></p>
<p class="toc level4"><a href="bnakw.html#bnakz">Messaging Tags</a></p>
<p class="toc level5"><a href="bnakw.html#bnala">The <tt>setBundle</tt> and <tt>bundle</tt> Tags</a></p>
<p class="toc level5"><a href="bnakw.html#bnalb">The <tt>message</tt> Tag</a></p>
<p class="toc level4 tocsp"><a href="bnakw.html#bnalc">Formatting Tags</a></p>
<p class="toc level3 tocsp"><a href="bnald.html">SQL Tag Library</a></p>
<p class="toc level4"><a href="bnald.html#bnalf"><tt>query</tt> Tag Result Interface</a></p>
<p class="toc level3 tocsp"><a href="bnalg.html">JSTL Functions</a></p>
<p class="toc level3"><a href="bnali.html">Further Information about JSTL</a></p>
<p class="toc level2 tocsp"><a href="bnalj.html">8.&nbsp;&nbsp;Custom Tags in JSP Pages</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnaon.html">9.&nbsp;&nbsp;Scripting in JSP Pages</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnaph.html">10.&nbsp;&nbsp;JavaServer Faces Technology</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnaqz.html">11.&nbsp;&nbsp;Using JavaServer Faces Technology in JSP Pages</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnatx.html">12.&nbsp;&nbsp;Developing with JavaServer Faces Technology</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnavg.html">13.&nbsp;&nbsp;Creating Custom UI Components</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnawo.html">14.&nbsp;&nbsp;Configuring JavaServer Faces Applications</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnaxu.html">15.&nbsp;&nbsp;Internationalizing and Localizing Web Applications</a></p>
<p class="toc level1 tocsp"><a href="bnayk.html">Part&nbsp;III&nbsp;Web Services</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnayl.html">16.&nbsp;&nbsp;Building Web Services with JAX-WS</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnazf.html">17.&nbsp;&nbsp;Binding between XML Schema and Java Classes</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnbdv.html">18.&nbsp;&nbsp;Streaming API for XML</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnbhf.html">19.&nbsp;&nbsp;SOAP with Attachments API for Java</a></p>
<p class="toc level1 tocsp"><a href="bnblr.html">Part&nbsp;IV&nbsp;Enterprise Beans</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnbls.html">20.&nbsp;&nbsp;Enterprise Beans</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnbnb.html">21.&nbsp;&nbsp;Getting Started with Enterprise Beans</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnboc.html">22.&nbsp;&nbsp;Session Bean Examples</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnbpk.html">23.&nbsp;&nbsp;A Message-Driven Bean Example</a></p>
<p class="toc level1 tocsp"><a href="bnbpy.html">Part&nbsp;V&nbsp;Persistence</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnbpz.html">24.&nbsp;&nbsp;Introduction to the Java Persistence API</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnbrl.html">25.&nbsp;&nbsp;Persistence in the Web Tier</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnbrs.html">26.&nbsp;&nbsp;Persistence in the EJB Tier</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnbtg.html">27.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Java Persistence Query Language</a></p>
<p class="toc level1 tocsp"><a href="bnbwi.html">Part&nbsp;VI&nbsp;Services</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnbwj.html">28.&nbsp;&nbsp;Introduction to Security in the Java EE Platform</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnbyk.html">29.&nbsp;&nbsp;Securing Java EE Applications</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bncas.html">30.&nbsp;&nbsp;Securing Web Applications</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bncdq.html">31.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Java Message Service API</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bncgv.html">32.&nbsp;&nbsp;Java EE Examples Using the JMS API</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bncih.html">33.&nbsp;&nbsp;Transactions</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bncjh.html">34.&nbsp;&nbsp;Resource Connections</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bncjx.html">35.&nbsp;&nbsp;Connector Architecture</a></p>
<p class="toc level1 tocsp"><a href="bnckn.html">Part&nbsp;VII&nbsp;Case Studies</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bncko.html">36.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Coffee Break Application</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bnclz.html">37.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Duke's Bank Application</a></p>
<p class="toc level1 tocsp"><a href="gexbq.html">Part&nbsp;VIII&nbsp;Appendixes</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bncno.html">A.&nbsp;&nbsp;Java Encoding Schemes</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bncnq.html">B.&nbsp;&nbsp;Preparation for Java EE Certification Exams</a></p>
<p class="toc level2"><a href="bncnt.html">C.&nbsp;&nbsp;About the Authors</a></p>
<p class="toc level1 tocsp"><a href="idx-1.html">Index</a></p>
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	 <div class="maincontent">      	 
             <a name="bnakc"></a><h3>Chapter&nbsp;7</h3><h3>JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library</h3><p><a name="indexterm-449"></a><a name="indexterm-450"></a>The JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library (JSTL) encapsulates core functionality common to many JSP
applications. Instead of mixing tags from numerous vendors in your JSP applications, JSTL
allows you to employ a single, standard set of tags. This standardization allows
you to deploy your applications on any JSP container supporting JSTL and makes
it more likely that the implementation of the tags is optimized.</p><p>JSTL has tags such as iterators and conditionals for handling flow control, tags
for manipulating XML documents, internationalization tags, tags for accessing databases using SQL, and
commonly used functions.</p><p>This chapter demonstrates JSTL through excerpts from the JSP version of the Duke&rsquo;s
Bookstore application discussed in the earlier chapters. It assumes that you are familiar
with the material in the <a href="bnaiy.html">Using Custom Tags</a> section of <a href="bnagx.html">Chapter&nbsp;5, JavaServer Pages Technology</a>.</p><p>This chapter does not cover every JSTL tag, only the most commonly
used ones. Please refer to the reference pages at <a href="http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/jstl/1.1/docs/tlddocs/index.html">http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/jstl/1.1/docs/tlddocs/index.html</a> for a complete
list of the JSTL tags and their attributes.</p>
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